"Good morning, Director!"
The five receptionists stood at once and bowed as Lock walked into the Fairy Tail Agency. With the firm's growing reputation and steady stream of Hero commissions, he'd hired two more staff members in recent months.
Lock nodded for them to continue their work and headed toward his office chair. None of the five pro heroes besides him were on-site—everyone was out on Hero work. Since Lock still had school on weekdays, he usually only handled commissions on weekends.
Besides… his popularity no longer required daily Hero activity to keep rising.
"Baruch went home to prep dinner, right?"
Their household routine was fixed—three meals a day at consistent times unless he telepathically warned otherwise. Since meeting Midoriya Izuku earlier, he'd been delayed and couldn't accompany Baruch back home.
"Enter system space."
He had come to the office mainly to inspect it and use the B-rank lottery he'd earned today. After that, he could leave.
"Use B-rank lottery."
[Initiating B-Rank Lottery.]
Congratulations. You have obtained Mistgun's magic: Skyscraper.
The moment the draw concluded, Mistgun—Prince Jellal of Edolas—his knowledge, experiences, and skill with the magic flooded into Lock's mind.
Skyscraper — an illusion-type magic that manipulates the opponent's emotions.
Mistgun, one of Fairy Tail's strongest S-Class candidates, always hid his face using illusion and sleep magic, partly because of his secret identity… and partly because he was simply too shy, a classic communication-phobic introvert.
Skyscraper could warp perception and unleash overpowering hallucinations, though it didn't inflict physical damage. In the original world, Mistgun cast using magical staves embedded with lacrima. Under the system's adaptation, Lock didn't need any staves—just mana.
"Not bad. Another attack option."
He nodded with satisfaction. Two thousand system points remained on his HUD. He could exchange for the rest of the basic Dragon-Slayer templates—but they would barely improve his combat abilities now.
Better to save for a long-term goal: Fairy Law, one of Fairy Tail's Three Great Magics.
Leaving system space, Lock stood and prepared to head out.
RING—RING—RING.
A sudden call lit up his phone. Unknown number.
A scam? Possibly. Still, Lock always answered unknown calls before hanging up.
"Hello—who is this?"
The voice that answered made his expression turn sharp.
"Wizard Lock? Allow me to reintroduce myself. We met a few months ago at the Kawasaki Denki factory. This is Kurogiri… from the League of Villains."
Lock inhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. The caller was far from friendly. He stepped quickly onto the rooftop.
"What do you want?" he asked, tone low.
He wasn't afraid of Tomura Shigaraki or Kurogiri.
AFO… was different. AFO was the one man who made even him wary.
"You're calm. Good. We don't mean harm. Simply an invitation—to visit our headquarters as a guest of the League."
Kurogiri's polite tone only deepened Lock's sneer.
If he truly went to the League's headquarters, they would never let him walk out alive.
"And if I refuse?"
"I hear your aunt—Ryūko Jū—currently ranked No. 9 among Japan's Heroes, runs one of Yūshi's strongest offices. But… what if a group of villains attacked her firm… around this time tonight?"
A threat.
Lock's gaze turned glacial, his killing intent rising unchecked.
Threaten him and he wouldn't care.
Threaten his family—
That was unforgivable.
"…Location."
His voice was calm. Too calm—like a frozen sea moments before it cracked apart.
A pleased chuckle came from the other end.
"Shinye District. Arrive before ten tonight. And come alone. If you don't—well—"
Lock ended the call before Kurogiri could finish.
When he turned around, several employees were staring at him nervously.
"Boss… is something wrong?"
"It's fine. You can all leave early today—get some rest."
He forced a smile. His aura during the call must've felt terrifying to them.
He left without rushing to the location. It was only six p.m.; Kurogiri demanded he arrive before ten.
After returning home, he ate the dinner Baruch had prepared—he'd need stamina for what was coming.
They reviewed escape contingencies.
Baruch had fully mastered Earth Dive, allowing him to slip into the ground itself.
If things turned critical, Lock could summon him instantly.
By nine p.m., Lock arrived at the Shinye District, checking the map.
"This is it."
A five-story private building. Only the third-floor windows glowed faintly.
A shuttered bar.
The League of Villains' headquarters.
Lock squeezed his fist, ready for combat, and pushed open the iron door.
Inside, the bar was dim, lit only by a few candles.
Tap… tap… tap.
The silver-haired young man sitting within slowly lifted his head. Grasping hands—disembodied models—clung to his face, arms, and neck. His sickly appearance was unmistakable.
Behind the counter stood a bartender wrapped in swirling black mist.
Only two people were present.
Tomura Shigaraki.
Kurogiri.
The League of Villains.
For the second time, Lock stood face-to-face with the villains who would one day become the greatest threat to the MHA storyline.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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